Roy Campanella

The full essay of Roy Campanella, Legendary Brooklyn Dodger, with images from Greenburgh Town Historians lives here, or see the text below. 

Greenburgh Catches Fame: The Story of Legendary Brooklyn Dodger Roy Campanella

By Greenburgh Town Historians: Riley Wentzler & Felicia Barber

Introduction:

Greenburgh has been home to many famous people throughout the years, several of whom have been African-American including: Jazz singer Cab Calloway, Comedian “Moms” Mabley, Jazz pianist Hazel Scott, and photographer Gordon Parks. History is full of milestones and the birth of each of these people certainly qualifies as such. To read the stories of these people check out our article, Making Martin Luther King Jr’s Dream Come Alive the Success Story of the Parkway Homes/ Parkway Gardens Community (Click here - https://www.greenburghny.com/DocumentCenter/View/6377/Making-Martin- Luther-King-Jrs-Dream-Come-Alive-the-Success-Story-of-the-Parkway-Homes- Parkway-Gardens-Community).

Today, November 19th 2021, marks a milestone in: Baseball History, African- American History, and American History in general, the 100th anniversary of the

birth of legendary Brooklyn Dodger and Greenburgh resident, Roy Campanella!! Therefore, it is only fitting that we now take the time to celebrate his life and accomplishments.

Early life:

Roy Campanella was born on November 19th, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=camparo01). At a very young age he played baseball for the all-black Nicetown Giants. Then in 1937, when he was 16, he was recruited by the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League. He played for them until 1946 (MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993- 2003 Microsoft Corporation).

Glory Days:

In 1948, he began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-Campanella).This made him the sixth African-American ever to play Major-League Baseball (MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation). Sometime in the 1950s, he moved to the Fair View section of Greenburgh in the vicinity of the Parkway Gardens/ Juniper Hill neighborhoods (https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a38004821/parkway- gardens-history-middle-class-black-families/)

In 1951, he hit 33 home runs and drove in 108 runs, a feat which won him the National League’s MVP award(MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation) An award he would win again in 1953, when he hit 41 home runs and led the National League with 142 runs batted in and once more in 1955 (MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation ). While his batting average fluctuated over his ten-year career,( see table below) he is best known as a catcher. Some say he is, “the best catcher of all time” (https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a38004821/parkway- gardens-history-middle-class-black-families/)

Tragedy:

He would continue to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers until 1958, when sadly and abruptly, a car accident left him paralyzed thus ending his career (MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation).

He was admitted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, making him the second African-American player to receive this honor(MICROSOFT ENCARTA, 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation).

He passed away on June 26th 1993 (https://www.baseball- almanac.com/deaths/roy_campanella_obituary.shtml).

Conclusion:

In conclusion, many famous people have lived in Greenburgh. Several of these have been African-Americans including: Jazz singer Cab Calloway, Comedian “Moms” Mabley, Jazz pianist Hazel Scott, photographer Gordon Parks, and Brooklyn Dodger Roy Campanella. While the birthday of each of these people is a historical milestone, since Roy Campanella’s is today, we honor him this week.